Indiana University biologist Mike Wade honored by professional society -- Indiana University Bloomington biologist Mike Wade has been selected to receive the American Society of Naturalists' 2009 Sewall Wright Award. Named after the influential population geneticist, the award recognizes a "senior but still active investigator who is making fundamental contributions . . . promoting the conceptual unification the biological sciences," according to the society. The award is widely respected by evolutionary biologists. Read the complete story.

Feds call for cybersecurity plan; IU announces new Security Informatics master's degree -- During a visit to Indiana last year, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama announced his intentions to create a new "cyber czar" post to "strengthen our cyber defenses in the 21st Century." Indiana University's School of Informatics faculty were already on the same mission. With oversubscribed undergraduate courses in computer security since 2006 and national job opportunities in cybersecurity climbing to near the top of all information technology offerings, the nation's first School of Informatics at the time was already positioning itself to meet Obama's challenge. Read the complete story.

Herron to launch Master in Art Therapy Program -- Herron School of Art and Design is excited to announce the launch of a new Master in Art Therapy degree program. Merging the fields of medicine, visual art, and psychology, art therapy uses creative processes of various art forms to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages. Herron will provide a rigorous, interdisciplinary, two-year, 60 credit- hour curriculum and high quality studio experience. Read the complete story.

Indiana University professor receives Germany's Reimar Lüst Award -- Indiana University political scientist Elinor Ostrom is one of two recipients of the 2009 Reimar Lüst Award for International Scholarly and Cultural Exchange, which recognizes humanities and social-science scholars for contributions to cultural and academic relations with Germany. Valued at 50,000 euros, the award is granted jointly by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The other winner this year is Roland Recht, professor of medieval and modern European art at the Collège de France in Paris. Read the complete story.

Indiana University alumnus to be nominated as ambassador to Saudi Arabia -- Brig. Gen. James B. Smith, an alumnus of Indiana University Bloomington, will be nominated as ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, President Barack Obama announced. Smith received a Master of Arts degree in 1975 in the Department of History, part of the College of Arts and Sciences at IU Bloomington. He holds a bachelor's degree in military history from the U.S. Air Force Academy. Obama announced his intent to nominate Smith and several other ambassadors on June 4. "I am grateful that these individuals will help represent our nation abroad during this important time for our country and the world," the president said. Read the complete story.

IU Army ROTC bids farewell to three cadre members and relocates to the Smith Research Center -- Indiana University Army ROTC recently bid farewell to three of its key, longstanding cadre members while preparing to relocate to its new headquarters at the Smith Research Center. Beginning June 15, IU Army ROTC will conduct its operations at the Smith Research Center, an IU School of Education center located at 2805 E 10th St. The three cadre members who are leaving include Maj. Jason Brady, Sgt. 1st Class Roy Hughes and Maj. (Retired) Todd Tinius. Read the complete story.

Linsmith Scholarship recipient named at IU -- Heather Schaefer of Lanesville, Ind., will receive a $2,000 Charles and Jo Ann Linsmith Scholarship from the Indiana University Alumni Association during Cream and Crimson Alumni Weekend, June 19-21, in Bloomington, Ind. Schaefer is a senior at IU Bloomington and the 2009-10 president of the Student Alumni Association. She is also a day-host coordinator through the Student Business Ambassadors Program with the Kelley School of Business, where she matches high school students with IU students. Read the complete story.

Alumni volunteers to be honored at IU's Cream and Crimson Alumni Weekend June 19-21 -- Indiana University alumni from around the world will be on the IU Bloomington campus June 19-21 for the annual Cream and Crimson Alumni Weekend. Activities include meetings of the IU Alumni Association Executive Council, a luncheon, the annual Chapter Leaders Conference and induction into the Emeritus Club for alumni who graduated 50 years ago. There will be two awards banquets, breakfasts hosted by several IU schools and a reunion for the class of 1959. An awards banquet Friday evening will honor alumni chapters for service to IU and local communities. Read the complete story.

Timing, financial realities will force school budget compromise, School of Education professor says -- As the Indiana General Assembly resumes work on a state budget in a special session starting June 11, Indiana's schools are unlikely to see a proposal that fully meets their needs, according to an Indiana University School of Education researcher of K-12 education finance. Rob Toutkoushian, professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, said teacher contracts and the cost-of-living increase will make it unlikely the budget will cover all school demands. "Even in districts that have 2 to 3 percent increases scheduled for teachers, it's going to be problematic if they are flat-funded or they only receive a 1 percent increase in funding," Toutkoushian said. "Then it is a real reduction to them, and they're going to have to make some cuts." Read the complete story.

Results from Wednesday, June 10:Men's and Women's Track: Things started out very well for the Hoosiers at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Three Hoosiers had competed and advanced on Wednesday. Two of the three advanced through the qualifying rounds. Read the day's notes.

Results from Thursday, June 11:
Women's Track: Day two of the NCAA Outdoor Championships saw senior Tiffany Howard reel in her first career All-America honors. Juniors Molly Beckwith and Wendi Robinson saw their meets draw to a close on the night as well. Read the day's notes.

New dean discusses coming back to IUIndiana Daily Student, June 10 -- Incoming Dean of Students Pete Goldsmith addresses his biggest challenges, approaches to student issues and following in Dean of Students Dick McKaig's footsteps in the following interview with the Indiana Daily Student. Full story.

IU East enrollment spikesPalladium Item, June 10 -- Indiana University East is reporting more than a 30 percent increase in enrollment for its first summer session, according to unofficial figures released by the school Tuesday. The Richmond campus has 925 students enrolled in the session, which started May 18, compared to the 697 students attending classes at the campus last summer. Students are taking 4,851 credit hours compared to the 3,694 hours they were taking at the same time a year ago. "This is remarkable growth," IU East Chancellor Nasser Paydar said in a statement. "Our campus is continuing to grow at a rapid pace, and we anticipate continued growth as we deliver relevant, high-quality programs in an efficient and affordable manner." Full story.

High-profile Watanabe was known for vision, intellectIndianapolis Star, June 12 -- Dr. August "Gus" Watanabe, who grew up on a chicken farm in the Amish countryside of northeast Indiana and rose to become one of the state's most prominent scientists, threw himself into everything he did. He toiled seven days a week over his projects at Eli Lilly and Co.'s research laboratories, overseeing the launch of 11 drugs and making it the most productive period in the company's history. As a top administrator at the Indiana University School of Medicine, he pushed for and won a sweeping upgrade of research facilities. As chairman of BioCrossroads, a private group that nurtures new life-science companies, he persuaded venture capitalists to invest millions in startup companies across the state. And he was always there for friends, who turned to him for medical and emotional help. But in recent weeks, Watanabe, 67, became depressed over the death of his daughter, who died last month at age 44 after elective surgery. Watanabe was found dead Tuesday afternoon outside a cabin in the hills east of Nashville, Ind. Brown County authorities determined he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Full story.

Rear-Facing Car Seats Safest for Kids Up to Age 4ABC News, June 12 -- Many parents, follows the current guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics that children less than 1 year of age or lighter than 20 pounds should be placed in a rear-facing child car seat -- which positions young children facing backwards in the car's cabin -- in order to decrease the risk that they will be injured in an accident. Indeed, there is little doubt that the seats represent the safest means available to transport children in a car -- even after their first year of life. And a new recommendation published Thursday in the British Medical Journal suggests that children up to the age of 4 are safest if placed in such seats when riding in a car. Child safety experts overwhelmingly applauded the recommendation. "A child is 5.53 times safer during their second year of life in a rear-facing car seat versus a forward-facing one," said Dr. Joseph O'Neil, a pediatrician at Riley Hospital and associate professor of pediatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. "I think that this is a very important topic for child safety." Full story.